Central-Tuscaloosa offensive lineman Lester Cotton knew last summer he wanted to go to Alabama, but he held off on his commitment. His coach at Central, Dennis Conner, said they agreed to delay a decision to avoid affecting the rest of the team during the 2013 season.

Now, with the season over and the four-star 2015 prospect on campus for Alabama's junior day on Saturday, Cotton said the time was right to commit.

Cotton (6-3, 309) said Saturday that Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU have been to visit him recently, and he may still take a trip to MSU, but his mind was set on Alabama. In addition to being just a few blocks away from Central, Alabama's academic programs impressed Cotton, who wants to major in physical education and to one day become a coach.

"Seeing that you have a chance to making it outside of football is good," he said. "Having something to fall back on is important."

Conner said Cotton is on track to qualify academically and has made himself into a prospect through hard work since moving to Tuscaloosa from Illinois as a freshman.

"When he first moved here from Illinois, he was just a raw talent," Conner said. "That's when I realized he hadn't been working in the weight room. We spent a year working in the weight room and working with his footwork. We went to these camps this summer and that's when he earned his way."

Conner said Cotton has improved his bench press from 295 pounds to 415 and elected not to play basketball this season in order to continue his weight room work. While he plays left tackle at Central, Conner said Cotton can play tackle, guard or center, and Cotton said he's been told he'll learn all three on Alabama's offensive line.

"They said they're going to put me where I perform best," said Cotton, who most likely projects as a guard. "They said I'm going to learn how to play every position."